


After the Fire

by Chisscientist



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: AU to legend of Korra, Agricultural policy is only boring when you aren't at risk of going hungry, Are we really 3 missed meals away from anarchy?, Being Fire Lord is Hard, Comics have been used as kindling and set on fire, F/M, Firelord Zuko (Avatar), Gen, Iroh has a better reason for being absent than running a tea shop, Kuei is incompetent, More tags will be added when/if story progresses to that point, Politics as the art of the possible, The Earth Kingdom has huge problems, but they aren't the main point of the story, canon divergent after the final Agni Kai, canon ships sailing around in the background, history is not nice, real world history used as a model
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-27 11:41:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30122208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chisscientist/pseuds/Chisscientist
Summary: The 100 Year War is over, but the world's problems are not.As the reality that they've won settles in, the GAang, and most especially Zuko and Aang, find that their problems are far from over. Knowing how to stay alive in a war doesn't translate automatically into knowing how to run a government, or broker peace agreements for an entire planet. And with hunger, civil chaos, and living enemies stalking their damaged world, good intentions aren't going to be enough if they mess up. The critical mistake might not even be theirs... but the consequences will be felt round the world.
Relationships: Mai/Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Zuko and original characters, Zuko and the Fire Nation
Comments: 19
Kudos: 15





	1. Now What?

Zuko stumbled against her, and Katara made him sit down. “You just got hit by lightning. You shouldn’t be standing up, even if I did heal the worst of it. I’ll not have you undo my hard work.” she told him. 

“I’m all right, just tired,” said Zuko, voice raspier than normal. Katara frowned at this, but then one of the fire sages came over from the somewhat distant rooftop where they’d watched the Agni Kai. “Are you injured, Prince er... Fire Lord Zuko? We’ll need to find a physician.”

“I’m a healer,” stated Katara. “Unless you have a waterhealer available, you aren’t going to find one better.”

“Oh. That’s good,” said the Fire Sage.

“Shouldn’t there be people around here?”asked Katara, looking around at the empty courtyard and soaked, fire-ravaged buildings. Zuko and Azula had made a fine mess of this part of the palace. “Where is everyone?

“Princess Azula banished them, my lady.”

“All of them?” 

“Yes, all the guards, all the servants, the Dai Lai, everyone except us.”

Katara and Zuko both turned to look at where Azula was chained to the grate, still screaming incoherently. She’d mostly stopped spraying blue fire from her mouth, but what were they to do with her?

“I think you may have saved us all from a terrible fate,” said the Fire Sage, looking at Azula. “Now that she has offended Agni, she cannot be crowned Fire Lord.”

“Offended Agni how?” asked Katara. “Why were you going to crown her when she’s...” Katara gestured at Azula. Fire Nation. These people made no sense, even when they weren’t actively being evil.

“Agni Kai are sacred, and attacking a witness to force your opponent to either defend the innocent or let them die desecrates the Agni Kai. No one who offends Agni in such a manner is fit to rule- book 4, stanza 32, line 4.” said the Fire Sage. “The Fire Sages will not crown or lend support to such a person.” He glared at Azula, then turned to frown at Katara. “Though you should not have strayed into the plaza. If you had interfered in the fight, you would have been the one to offend Agni. Do you understand?”

“Oh,” said Katara. “I don’t actually know anything about Agni Kai,” said Katara. “I didn’t expect a formal duel, I was expecting a battle, and Azula likes to cheat and I didn’t trust her... I certainly wasn’t trying to offend Agni.”

The Fire Sage sighed, “We can let it go, given you didn’t actually do anything until well after Azula attacked you.” Then he paled, “do you know what happened to Fire – er, Phoenix King Ozai?”

“Avatar Aang stopped him,” said Katara, hoping as she said it that it was actually true. Aang would win, he HAD to, or everything they’d done would be for nothing, and a significant swath of the Earth Kingdom was now burned-out ruins. Could still be ruins, if Sokka and the others hadn’t managed to stop the airfleet.

Katara looked down at Zuko, who was sitting with his head in his hands, not saying anything. All right my foot. “We need to get Zu– your new Fire Lord, inside where he can lie down and I can keep an eye on him. And I’d imagine there’s somewhere we can lock up an insane firebender that she can’t burn down?”

“Yes, though we’ve no guards.”

Katara frowned. “Then we need to drug her until we can retrieve the guards.”

“Find the guards, tell them to come back,” said Zuko, his voice rougher than normal. “Also the rest of the palace staff if you run into them. NOT--” He started coughing, his face screwed up in pain. “-- not Dai Lai. And need” more coughing, “messenger hawk.”

“We will do so, my lord,” said a new Fire Sage, who seemed to be in charge. “But perhaps we should get you somewhere your healer friend can take better care of you first?”

Zuko nodded, and Katara and the junior Fire Sage helped Zuko into the palace. It took longer than Katara had anticipated, and she was very glad when they finally got Zuko into a well-stocked infirmary. They deposited him on a nearby bed, and she took a long critical look at him.

Her friend was pale, not warm enough, and sweaty. Shock, presumably. And that burn badly needed dressing before it could get infected. She didn’t like the coughing, either. Lung damage? She set to work again with the healing water. Zuko had much less internal damage than Aang had had, despite having been hit by more lightning. He must have managed to redirect some of it. Katara shivered. If that lightning had hit her, she very much doubted she’d still be alive.

Later, a Fire Sage came by and told her that Azula had been drugged and taken to the Caldera City prison. At least that one still had guards. Hopefully they could trust them. One of the other Fire Sages had promised to keep an eye on the Fire Princess and make that nobody got confused about who was in charge and let her out.

She sent out the messenger hawk, telling it to go find Aang, then another hawk to Sokka and a third to Iroh. Hopefully, all the hawks would find their recipients alive and able to receive the news.

_Aang, you’d better be alive. Azula fought an Agni Kai with Zuko. She’s in prison. Zuko is now Fire Lord, but not crowned yet. Zuko has lightning injuries. He’ll live. I think he redirected some of it, because he wasn’t nearly as badly hurt as you, but he shouldn’t travel or do much of anything for a while._

_Azula was losing the Agni Kai when she decided to attack me while I stood there watching. Zuko jumped in front of me, but couldn’t fully redirect in mid-air. Brave idiot. He was down on the ground and Azula kept throwing lightning whenever I tried to go near him, so I had to fight her. I won. Then the Fire Sages showed up and I found out Azula forfeited the Agni Kai when she attacked me. She apparently offended Agni, and she definitely offended the Fire Sages who are in charge of crowning the Fire Lord. So they all support Zuko’s claim to the throne._

_The situation is chaotic. Azula banished everyone from the palace, so now we have to find them. I keep half-expecting both of us to get murdered in our sleep by angry Ozai supporters or the palace guards who have shown up. Cannot leave, help appreciated. Toph, we could really use your lie-detection skills right now._

_Katara_

Then she sat down, suddenly at loose ends. The war was now over, presumably. Now what?


	2. First Steps

The first few days after the Agni Kai were a bit overwhelming and rather hazy for Zuko. There were massive numbers of things that needed doing, but when he tried to get on with it, Katara threatened to tie him up if he didn’t rest. To be fair, his body was also screaming at him, so she was probably right.

He started organizing things for his coronation, as well as giving orders to release political prisoners and to move prisoners of war to the Capital pending repatriation. He also ordered that no further military advances be made, and that troops were to return to defensible positions and hold until further orders were given.

He made special mention of Mai among the prisoners – he hoped she was okay, given how her betrayal must have infuriated Azula. Even if she was furious with him and thought him a traitor as well as ‘that jerk who dumped me’, he still owed her his life, and there was no way he would leave her in prison if she was still alive. Even if he wasn’t entirely sure why she’d saved them.

Some of the former guards and palace staff returned, though the palace still seemed nearly deserted. Zuko knew some of them from before, of course, but many new faces had arrived during his exile. He hadn’t been very outgoing during the short time he’d spent in the palace after his banishment, and before running off to help Aang end the war, either.

They received a hawk from their friends on the third day in.

_Hi Katara, Zuko,  
We won! And we’re all alive. Aang defeated Ozai and removed his bending. I didn’t know that was possible. Sokka, Toph and Suki took down the airships. Two were captured, the rest destroyed. We’re all alive. Zuko, we got a message from your uncle. He’s fine. Jeong Jeong is dead. Sokka has a broken leg, but is otherwise fine. He complains a lot. _

_**I do not! Give me that** _

_Anyway, Ba Sing Se is now free. The Fire Army set a lot of the crops in the agricultural zone on fire as they were kicked out, and there were substantial casualties there. Iroh hasn’t give us details yet. Having that battle during Sozin’s Comet may not have been such a good idea. Thankfully, we managed to stop the airfleet only a few km in from the coast in an uninhabited area, and Aang brought the sea in to put the fires out before they could spread all that far. That could have been so much worse._

_We have not found the Earth King yet. We’re hoping he’ll come in once he hears, but White Lotus is also looking for him. We don’t really know much about what’s happening in the rest of the Earth Kingdom yet. Your uncle sounds really busy. The White Lotus is the closest thing the Earth Kingdom has to a government right now._

_We’ll be on our way shortly, in a captured airship. Do not shoot it. Hold on._

_Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki_

_PS. We’ve got your father with us, so you’re going to need a secure place to put the Loserlord. Blame Sokka for the nickname._

What? Aang had taken Ozai’s bending? How was it possible to take away his inner fire without killing him? Zuko wondered uneasily what state his father was in. He’d been prepared for him to die in combat, but this... and just what he was supposed to do with a genocidal ex-Fire Lord with no fire? The man would be a plot magnet, and if Zuko put one foot wrong as Fire Lord... it was very nice of Aang not to kill Ozai, but Zuko wondered if Aang had any idea what kind of problem he’d just saddled Zuko with.

And a hawk from Uncle on the fourth:

_Dear nephew and soon-to-be Fire Lord,  
I hope this message finds you and Katara well and safe. Ba Sing Se is now free. Piandow, Bumi, Pakku and I are fine, but Jeong Jeong sadly did not survive the battle. The Dai Lai have mostly been arrested, or doffed their uniforms and disappeared._

_Unfortunately, the Fire Army burned most of the fields in the agricultural zone before they were forced out, and most of the wheat had not yet been harvested. We are going to be very short of food this winter. It isn’t like Caldera or the equatorial parts of the Earth Kingdom where three crops of rice can be harvested in a year. They get 1 crop of wheat in a year, with maybe soybeans or a vegetable shoehorned in between the main crop and the winter. Wheat planted now won’t be ready for harvest until next summer._

_Longer term, the local earthbenders tell me that the intensity of fire driven by Sozin’s comet has damaged the soil in the agricultural zone, and it will take years to fully repair the damage._

_With all the fighting elsewhere in the Earth Kingdom, it is likely that the harvest will be poor nationwide, and Piandow tells me that the excessive conscription in the Fire Nation has resulted in labor shortages and too many fallow fields there. I don’t know details about the Colonies, but it is likely similar to the Fire Nation. At least they are currently moving into their spring. If I were you, I’d make sure that you get some of those extra soldiers you’re going to have out planting food as soon as humanly possible._

_Both of us need to prioritize getting in whatever can still be harvested, and you and Kuei are going to have to plan how to get the northern Earth Kingdom through to the next harvest. Or there may well be famine in Ba Sing Se by early spring._

_We are currently looking for the Earth King. I am hoping Kuei will come out once he hears of Ozai’s fall and the Fire Army starts retreating from major parts of the Earth Kingdom. We need to find him soon. The Earth Kingdom really needs him as a symbol to hold everyone together._

_With everything so unstable here, I cannot leave. Do not wait on your coronation – I am assuming all has gone well. You need the legitimacy as soon as possible. My teashop will also have to wait, alas!_

_I am so proud of you,_

_Uncle_

The next day, a single airship arrived over Caldera, and landed in the airship field outside the city. Shortly thereafter, one flying bison landed in the main courtyard of the palace.

Zuko’s guards were jumpy when told the Avatar had arrived. As they made their way slowly to the main courtyard, Captain Kenaro spoke up. “Are you certain of this, my lord?” he asked. “The Avatar defeated your father, and you say he took Fire L-- Phoenix King Ozai’s bending away.” He visibly swallowed. “You may wish to consider your recent injuries. I am not sure we could defend you if he attacked, and the Fire Nation can’t afford to lose another Fire Lord before you can even be crowned.”

“Avatar Aang is my friend. He won’t hurt me. I know you wouldn’t be able to stop him, but he’s had lots of opportunities to kill me. He may be a one-man army, but he’s twelve and is only really dangerous to people who attack him or his friends. Or attack other people he is trying to protect. Um...” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck, “he might hug me. He tends to spontaneous hugs. Don’t worry if he does. And Toph shows affection by punching people in the arm and calling them silly nicknames.”

The head of his body guards stared at him with raised eyebrows, as if he couldn’t quite believe his ears. He didn’t say anything, though, so Zuko let it be.

Appa was in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by his friends. Toph, Aang, Suki, Sokka was on crutches, but they were all there. And sitting glowering in Appa’s saddle, Zuko’s father. Zuko swallowed.

Aang raced towards Zuko and Katara, only to find Katara running towards Sokka, obviously intent on checking that her brother, and his broken leg, were okay. Aang turned. “Hi Zuko,” he said brightly.

The guards tensed, and Aang stopped short, and bowed.

Zuko returned it, only to be grabbed in a hug. A careful one, that only made his chest twinge slightly. Zuko hugged Aang back, as Aang started chattering questions and the others came up.

“Yes, I got hit by Azula’s lighting but Katara healed me. I’m not fully healed yet, but I’ll be fine. Just don’t hug me too hard. What happened to Sokka’s leg?”

“We fell off an airship,” said Toph. “I seriously thought we were going to die, but then we landed on another airship and Fans was there. Snoozle’s leg broke, but he’ll be okay. Complains a lot though, mostly about losing his space sword and boomerang.” She gestured in Sokka’s direction. “So, do you have somewhere to put the Loserlord?” Toph jerked a thumb at Ozai, who was still sitting slumped in Appa’s saddle.

“Yes, he’s going to the City Prison for now. I’ll have him moved to Boiling Rock later.”

“We got out of Boiling Rock,” said Suki. 

“It’s still the most secure prison in the Fire Nation, once I can trust the people running it.” Zuko’s eyes strayed back to his father.

“He can’t light a candle now, Zuko. He’s not a threat anymore, and I didn’t even have to kill him!” said Aang, his eyes shining.

Toph rolled her eyes slightly, but didn’t say anything.

“Let’s go get him sorted out,” said Zuko. They walked back to Appa, collecting Katara and Sokka as they went. 

Zuko looked up at his father, still seated on Appa’s back and with his hands bound behind him. His long hair was a tangled mess, he was wearing a blanket with a hole for his head rather than a shirt, and he was covered in half-healed bruises. And his eyes were a flat, fireless yellow as they stared with hatred at Zuko. “You,” was all his father said.

“Yes,” said Zuko, looking away from that utterly wrong gaze. He turned to the guards. “Captain Kumaro, I want you to see that F- Ozai makes it safely to Capital City Prison.”

“Fire Lord, you should not be unguarded, especially with foreigners present.” Kumaro gave Aang a wary look.

“I am completely safe with the Avatar and my other friends. But you can leave Kuzon and Ming with me, if that would be more proper.”

“Very well, my lord,” said Kumaro. “Kuzon, Ming, guard the Fire Lord. The rest of you, we are taking the prisoner to the Capital City Prison.”

The guards got Ozai down off Appa, and Kumaro marched him away. Zuko relaxed.

“So, are you officially the Fire Lord now?” asked Sokka. “Aren’t you supposed to have a crown or something?”

Zuko laughed, then winced. “I’m getting crowned tomorrow. I’m glad you’re all here for it. Uncle can’t come. Ba Sing Se’s too much of a mess, and he doesn’t have fast enough transportation anyway. Why don’t you all, er, come inside and have tea or something?”

“That sounds like an excellent idea,” said Katara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With thanks to my beta-reading friend, without whom this story would not be as good, and to Periphyton, for suggestions on agriculture and farming.


End file.
